


Silence

by Phantoms_Echo



Series: A History that Repeats -Au Collection [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Al is a happy little fox, Al is adorable, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Because of war, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Complete, Ed is a grouch, Ed is older than Roy, I think that's everything, M/M, Magic makes them both really young, Now it's everything, Roy is somewhere in between, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-09 23:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8916889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: “The Silence.” Ling answered, “It’s not that their words no longer worked, it was like they had forgotten every spell. All their manuscripts were illegible, all their words of power had been taken from them. It was during the war of the five great nations. In the midst of a bloody battle with curses raining down from both sides, everything just… stopped.”Ed swallowed thickly.“In Xing, the story goes that a single man stood between both sides.” Ling continued, “With hair the color of the sun, bloodied from the battle and eyes that gleamed with sands of the desert, the man brought the war to an end with a single word: Silence.”Ed felt shivers go down his spine, but he promptly ignored them. Scoffing, he crossed his legs, “You Xingese are weird.”





	1. When the World was at War...

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters, only the world in this fic and events that take place. Please support the official release. If this inspires you, please send me a link of your work.
> 
>  
> 
> Hi everyone! Long time, no see! I meant to have this done a while ago, but I got stuck on chapters 5 and 6. Good news though, the entire thing is written so you don't have to worry about a haitus or anything. :) Go me!
> 
> Time-wise, this story happens long before Golem Lord to the point where they don't appear connected, so you don't have to worry about reading my other fic.
> 
> Anyway, have fun reading!

_“Grandma, Grandma!” A young pair of siblings ran through ornate halls. The ceilings towered far overhead with decadent tapestries decorating the walls and priceless vases adorning pedestals every few feet. The brother and sister paid no mind as they dashed past, colorful robes billowing behind them._

_The woman at the end of the hall looked up from where she was fixing an arrangement in one of the vases. Her midnight black hair had turned grey after so many years and her eyes weren’t quite what they used to be, but it wasn’t hard to hear her grandchildren thundering down the hall like mischievous miscreants._

_“Slow down, you two!” She laughed, her old crooked teeth flashing behind her smile. “Where is the fire?”_

_“Grandma!” the boy shouted even as he came to stand in front of her. His sister ( **half-sister**! his mind supplied) tottered behind him, her long dark braids trailing in her wake. “Grandma! Papa said there’s a festival coming up soon!”_

_“Hmmm…” The grandmother put a finger to her chin. “Indeed there is, the festival of the Golden Ones.”_

_“Why are the Golden Ones so special, Grandma?” The boy demanded, tugging on her sleeve. His sister waddled over, reaching out her arms and silently demanding to be picked up. The elderly woman bent to comply._

_“Walk with me, Ling.” The woman said as she started down the hall again. “Do you know who the Golden Ones are?”_

_“They creatures that bring either luck or disaster to the Xingese Empire whenever the Emperor meets one.” The boy answered, words obviously memorized from his lessons and other stories._

_“That’s true, for the most part.” The woman said as she found a stone bench that lined the hall right before it opened up to the inner garden. Gently, bones creaking, she settled herself and her granddaughter onto the bench, patting it for her grandson to join them. “However, that is not always the case.”_

_“It’s not?” the boy asked, nose wrinkling._

_“No.” She answered, “Sometimes the Golden Ones come for a bigger reason, to stop something much greater than Xing from making a terrible mistake.”_

_“Like what, Grandma?”_

_“Long ago, before the world of golems and craftsmen, there was another kind of magic.” The woman startled, voice gaining an airy, mystical tone as her story unfolded. “A magic that was crafted with words instead of suffering, one that was more powerful and widespread that anything this world had ever seen.”_

_“Why don’t we have magic like that now?” The boy whined._

_“Well, you see, Ling, that’s the thing about magic and power like that.” The woman smiled down at him, though it was small and sad. “With great power, come those who wish to corrupt it and take it for themselves. With great power… comes **war**.”_

*          *          *          *          *

The wind whistled across the battlefield, kicking up dust as it sped through camp. Canvas tents flapped precariously on their poles and soldiers clung to their sullied coats. One figure curled close to a dying fire, sitting in the dirt right next to it as he tried to keep the wind from putting the small flame out. Another gust of wind stole through the camp and the figure shivered, pulling his thread-bare cloak tighter around his shoulders.

A hand clamped down on thin shoulder, startling the figure.

“How y’doin’, Roy?” the owner of the hand asked as the man dropped himself to the ground. He was dressed similarly to the first with the blue of military uniform under an inefficient cloak. It had been white, once, when the two were still new to the battlefield, but that had been months ago.

“Hanging in there.” The first figure replied, rubbing his hands together. “My stores haven’t quite replenished yet, but I don’t see anyone sounding the alarm.”

“Nah, the enemies called first in the last wave.” His friend said, leaning back on his hands. “Even with their head start, we’ve got about half-an-hour before any curses come our way.”

“And it will still be an eternity too soon.” Roy spat through chattering teeth. A shiver ripped through him, causing his friend to turn a concerned look onto him.

“How much flame did you make last time?”

“Not too much…” Roy winced at his hesitation. He was trying to _keep_ his friend from worrying, not make it worse. “Maes-!”

“Roy, you can’t keep doing this to yourself!” his friend hissed, dragging the other closer with an arm around his shoulders. “I don’t care _how_ effective your flames are, you can’t do anything if you’re _dead_!”

“I’ll be fine.” Roy grumbled, unconsciously pressing closer to his friend’s frame. He could feel the ( _warmhotsoverynice_ ) body heat start to seep into his skin from the various points of contact. “I stopped before I got hypothermia.”

“ _That does not make me feel better._ ” Maes hissed, green eyes glaring down at the brunette as he tightened his grip. “You need to give yourself more time to heal, Roy, not just replenish enough to go in the next wave!”

“I know but…” Roy’s tongue felt thick in his mouth as he swallowed back his words. ‘ _You go out’_ and ‘ _I need to protect you_ ’ weren’t things that he wanted to say aloud. No doubt Maes was thinking the same thing, but his childhood friend was even less enthused than Roy.

This war had been going on for decades now. When they were still young and stupid, they dreamed of joining the Amestria ranks and being one of those soldiers or spell casters on the posters. They dreamed of fame, fortune, and justice –an end to rations and peace to the fearful.

Now, months after their deployment, it all just seemed like a lie. They couldn’t protect anyone. They could barely protect themselves.

“You know,” Maes finally spoke again, breaking the silence around them. “I overheard one of the upper ranks talking.”

“By ‘overheard’, you mean ‘eavesdrop on’?” Roy grinned wryly at him, ever as another shiver ran down his spine. His friend briskly rubbed his hand up and down Roy’s arm, trying to warm the flame-user up.

“To _may_ to, to _mah_ to.” Maes shrugged, green eyes looking off into the distance. “Anyway, I heard them talking about this one spell caster. They made it seem like he was some big-shot, some super powerful caster that could actually turn the tide in this war. Apparently, Amestria has asked several times for his help, but he’s refused every time.”

“Is he siding with the enemy?” Roy’s eyebrows furrowed in fear. If this man was as powerful as they said he was, Roy never wanted to face him on the battlefield.

“That’s the thing.” Maes frowned. “We’ve gotten news that he’s been asked by Drachma, Creta, Aerugo, and Xing, but he’s turned every single one of them down.”

“Maybe he’s a pacifist.” Roy scoffed, finally starting to feel his fingers again. They were pins and needles, but it was better than numb. “What’s so great about this guy anyway?”

“They say that he could not only turn the tide, but completely stop the war, if he wanted.” Maes speculated. “Just out-right obliterate the competition.”

Roy swallowed thickly. He was very glad this caster seemed to be a pacifist. “I wonder what’s stopping him.”

“His answer to Amestria was ‘this war ain’t got nothin’ to do with me’.” Maes said somberly.

Roy laughed, “Sounds like some cranky old fart.”

“I don’t know.” Maes shrugged again, “Never seen the guy. But we might soon.”

Roy stiffened. “Why’s that?”

“Because this war might become his problem soon.” Maes sighed, “You know how we’ve been pushed back further and further, right?”

“Yeah?” Roy frowned.

“Well, that ridge up there?” Maes pointed to a line of trees that stopped abruptly on the mountainside. “I’ve heard he lives up there, right where the trees stop growing. If we’re pushed back any further, the general will make those mountains our stronghold and put us right in that guy’s backyard.”

“I’d hate to piss him off.” Roy muttered, curling his fingers to work the circulation back in. His magic was starting to replenish enough that he could feel himself warming up, but he knew that it would be a while yet before it was completely restored –much more time than the enemy will allot them.

“You and me both.” Maes blew a stray piece of hair out of his face. It had gotten much longer in their time on the field, his and Roy’s both. The flame-user idly noted that he’d need to secret away a knife soon to remedy that.

A piercing alarm sounded through the camp, forcing everyone to jump to their feet.

Roy stumbled as he stood, teeth chattering still as his hands shook.

“Shit.” Maes cursed as he scrambled up, grabbing Roy by the arm. “That’s fifteen minutes sooner than we thought!”

“It’s fine!” Roy called back, “I can just-!”

He stumbled as a particularly violent shudder racked his body. _Not_ _enough…_ he thought, squeezing his eyes shut as he poked at the flames inside. _Not warm enough… I can’t-!_

“Roy!”

Maes tugged on his arm to get him moving again.

“Curse incoming!” A shout rang over the chaos. The soldier dragged his spell caster friend to the side, ducking behind some supply crates just as the ground three feet from them exploded and caved inwards, causing a sinkhole.

Roy pushed himself to his feet, intending to return fire from his position, but Maes yanked him back down. “Maes, what the-? What are you doing?!”

“I’m calling a retreat!” Maes said over the boom of a rock boulder smashing into their frontlines. “Roy, you aren’t in any position to fight. As a member of the Spell Caster Guard, it is my duty to get you out of here.”

“Wha-? Are you _crazy_?!” Roy shouted, mouth screwing up in a snarl. “You want me to _run away_?!”

“Roy, you know as well as I do that you don’t have nearly enough flame left to recover from another wave.” Forest green eyes stared hard at the other brunette. “I love Amestria as much as the next guy, Roy, but I’ve only got one best friend and I am _not_ losing him to some fool’s decision. No arguing. I am getting you out.”

“Maes-!” Roy was cut off by another explosion, this time the tent right next to them burst into flames –flames that weren’t Roy’s.

“ _Move it_!” Maes ordered, pushing his friend ahead of him. “They’ve moved to sight-oriented attacks. The enemy infantry will be on us soon!”

Heart pounding in his ears, Roy finally gave in, turning and darting through the other tents in camp. He could hear Maes’ boots pounding the barren ground behind him as the two took off. Ahead of them, the mountain range that Maes had pointed out earlier rose like a barrier between them and the safety of Amestria. The barren ground ended abruptly as trees and fauna took over the land.

Roy hesitated at the tree line. He had been a city-boy all his life. The very thought of being surrounded by anything but man-made structures or barren landscape was a foreign concept to him. In all honesty, the forest –with its flammable wood and soft, malleable earth –scared him.

“ _Go, Roy!_ ” His best friend’s shout startled him out of his reverie and forced Roy’s legs forward. He had just passed into the tree line when he heard his friend cry out again, this time in pain. Turning back, Roy felt his heart jump into his throat.

Maes lay on the ground, hands digging into the dirt as if to pull himself away as his lower half was trapped beneath a rock boulder twice Roy’s size. The spell caster could see where blood pooled from Maes’ crushed body. It was a wonder the man was still conscious.

Roy started to turn back, unable to leave his friend behind.

“ _No_!” Maes shouted, face grim. Roy stopped in his tracks. “Go, Roy, get out of here!”

Roy opened his mouth to protest, but no words were forthcoming. From his place at the tree line, he could see the enemy ranks advancing, pillars of flame dancing over the tents and the flashes of gunshots encroaching. He looked back down at his friend, feet rooted to the spot as he went back and forth in turmoil.

“ _Roy_.” Maes’ tone sank low, drawing Roy’s attention to him. His friend gave a pained grin. “We both know I’m not getting out of here. At the very least, one of us should make it.”

“ _Maes_ …” Roy’s throat swelled up and his eyes burned at the realization of what Maes was telling him to do. “ _Maes, I can’t-!_ ”

“You have to Roy.” Maes’ grin slipped from his face. “Someone has to stop the war. It can’t be me, so it’s gotta be you.”

“Maes-!”

“ _Go, Roy!_ ”

The order was echoed by an explosion mere feet behind Maes. The boulder threw shadows at his feet and a burst of warm air hit him like a wall. Startled, Roy took a single step towards the silent forest.

One step became two, became ten, became twenty and Roy was racing through the trees, leaving his only friend, the only family he had left, behind.

“ _Give’em hell, Roy!_ ” the shout echoed between the trees followed by the screams of someone burning to death in flames. Roy would know, he was surrounding by those same screams everywhere he went.

Unable to look back, Roy just kept forward, heart beating, lungs burning, tears streaming as he ran as far as his legs could carry him, until the sounds of battle was drowned out by the eerie silence of the woods.


	2. They Meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters, just the world and events within this fic.
> 
> Hi again. Everyone have a good Christmas? Here's my Christmas present to you. It's late. I hope you enjoy it.

Ed was awoken by the pawing nails against his wooden door. Blinking his eyes open, he glared blearily at the sun just cresting the mountain range out his back door. Sure, the mountains were high and the sun normally took hours after dawn to get there, but Ed very much liked to sleep until the sun was as high as it would go and wander about well after it was dark.

That little fox knew it too.

“Al, how many times have I _told_ you?” Ed groused as he clambered out of his bed. The top blanket found its way around his shoulders. “I don’t want to be woken before-!”

The little fox whined, tail tucked between his legs. His ears were flicked back, lips pulled back in a snarl, but the sound coming out was decidedly non-threatening.

Ed felt his heart speed up as he dropped the blanket from around his shoulders and reached for his gun. He motioned for Al to be quiet, a hand-signal that the fox was very familiar with, and slowly approached the door. Peering out a small window to the side, he sneered at seeing a slumped figure on his porch. By the colors, he could tell that they were from the Amestrian military –Special Division.

He had already told these guys ‘no’. They should know what would happen if they sent another scout.

Flicking the safety off his gun, he eased the door open, hinges giving a muffled creak. The figure on his porch didn’t budge. Ed crept out of the doorway, close enough that he could make out the even breathing of the militant. The person was wrapped up in the white robes of the Special Division with the hood drawn up over their head. Ed couldn’t see their face from this angle.

Looking out to the horizon, he scanned for any signs of other military personnel.

The tree-line was clear, no one waiting for him that he could see. Al stepped out onto the porch, seeming to think the coast was clear as well. Off in the distance, a fading plume of smoke rose up. Evidently there was a battle that had taken place recently. Ed absently wondered which side had gained ground and would inevitably lose it in the next attack.

Dismissing the thought, he turned his attention back to the Amestrian before him. “Hey, get up. This is private property.”

The person groaned, turning their face to bury it in the wooden planks of Ed’s porch. When the figure stilled, Ed grew angry. “ _Hey_ , I said _get up_!”

The man groaned again, but when he felt the barrel of Ed’s rifle digging into his back, he was quick to scramble to his feet. The blonde kept a trained eye on the soldier, knowing those in the White Division weren’t particularly skilled when it came to hand-to-hand or gun-to-gun, but their magic could out-class anyone, any day.

“I…” the man blinked blearily at Ed, his hood having fallen off in the abrupt scramble to his feet. “Where am I? What’s-?”

Ed cursed internally.

The officer couldn’t be more than sixteen. He still had the baby fat of youth on his face, even as his cheeks were gaunt with hunger. The dark circles under his eyes made it evident that he was exhausted. There were small cuts along his face and tiny tears in his robes, depicting a frantic flight through Ed’s forest –a deserter maybe? It didn’t seem likely.

The most telling were the teen’s blue lips –mild hypothermia, most likely caused by using heat-sourced magic (flame probably) more than was safe for the human body.

“What are you doing here?” Ed demanded, talking over the other’s confused ramblings.

“Wh-What?” the teen’s dark eyes were unfocused as he frowned in Ed’s general direction.

“What are you doing here?” Ed repeated, leveling his rifle. “I already told those Amestrian scum-bags that I wasn’t going to help in their conquest. I warned them what would happen if I saw another of their colors up here.”

“I don’t…” the teen took a few terrified steps backwards, eyes clearing with terror. “I wasn’t sent, I-! The camp… The camp got raided and I-! I just _ran_! I don’t… I don’t know where I am!”

Ed leveled a glare onto the sputtering teen. Shit, teenagers. The army sure took them early now-a-days. Ed could remember when he had been in that awkward stage. He wouldn’t have been much help to anyone.

Amestria must have been getting desperate.

“Al,” Ed ordered. The little fox at his side perked up, nose wiggling, before trotting over to the kid. The teen watched it with trepidation, so Ed warned. “You hurt him, I’ll kill you, kid or no.”

The teen froze, stock still, as the little fox trotted forward, completely at ease. Al sniffed at the teen’s pant leg, walked a quick half-circle before sniffing the other. Tiny black paws placed themselves on the teen’s hip and belt as the fox craned up to sniff at his hands, held in the surrender position with the gun still trained on him. The teen breathed shallowly, eyes wide as he watched the fox make his rounds.

Finally, Al backed off and hopped back onto the porch, rubbing himself against Ed’s leg.

Slowly, Ed lowered his gun. “What’s your name, kid?”

“R-Roy,” The teen answered, “Roy Mustang.”

“Get inside, Roy,” Ed ordered, “You look like you’re about to freeze to death.”

Somehow, Ed knew he wasn’t far from the truth.

With the rifle no longer pointed at him, Roy’s hands retreated to his armpits, trying to warm them. His shoulders shuddered and his teeth clattered as he shivered from a light breeze. The mountains weren’t known for their warmth, especially for those that weren’t used to it.

Ed turned and walked back into his house, leaving Roy to choose to follow on his own.

His house wasn’t much, Ed knew. It had a small kitchen area off to the side with an enchanted chest that would keep things fresh for him and a small stove big enough for one. The rest of the house was his bedroom –single small bed taking up a corner and a small wardrobe off to the side. There was an outhouse out back, the smell of which kept the smaller critters out of his garden and made the bigger creatures wary.

Easiest to mark one’s territory and all that.

Inside, Ed padded to the kitchen area, grabbing the supplies he had to work with for breakfast. The hens out back hadn’t been checked for eggs yet, but Ed had one or two left over from the day before. He still had some dried meats from the market and some canned jams from his own garden. If he had any bread left, he’d have made some toast and eggs, but as it was, he had been out of bread for two days.

He’d need to go to market. If it was still standing.

His ears pricked at hearing thick-soled military-issued boots thump across his floor. The door closed behind the teen.

“Um…” the teen’s words were soft, nervous. “Should your pet be carrying wood into the fireplace?”

“His name is Al, he is _not_ a pet,” Ed snarled, “And he knows his chores just fine. I never give him anything he can’t handle.”

“Is… Is he a shifter?” Of _course_ that’s what the teen would think of. It’s anyone’s first thought. It’s not like animals can be _intelligent_ or anything.

“No,” Ed sighed. He’s made this distinction so many times that it’s gotten frustrating. “Al is one hundred percent fox. Found the little guy in an abandoned den when his mother got caught in a hunter’s trap and died. He was the only one of the litter left. I took him in, raised him, and now he lives here with me.”

“I… I see.” The teen didn’t sound sure, but Ed didn’t care.

“So what were you doing out in the forest?” Ed questioned as he wandered in to the small living room. He knelt to start the fire in the fireplace where Al had piled wood and kindling. With the strike of a match, a small glow caught, burning brighter as it licked up the fuel. “Last I heard, Amestrian troops don’t just up and leave the battle field.”

“We… the camp was caught off-guard. We expected more time before another attack, more time to replenish our troops, but…” the boy turned haunted eyes onto the fireplace where the flames danced and warmth leeched into the air. “They must have kept some spell casters back. The entire camp went into chaos. My friend and I… I ran. I ran into the forest without looking back. I just… left everything.”

Ed was silent as he observed the teen. He remembered seeing such weary eyes on patrons at the tavern Ed frequented at the base of the mountain. Eyes that were flat, blank with exhaustion and broken from dreams of valor crushed.

It was one of many reasons Ed refused to join this absurd war.

Instead of getting into a fight about the necessity of it all, Ed just rolled his shoulders, stood, and went back to his small kitchen.

“After breakfast, you’ll have to leave.” Ed informed the teen. “I don’t want stragglers thinking that this is a place to hide out. I get enough from the captains and generals, I don’t need foot soldiers roaming here too.”

“Captains? Generals?” Roy looked up at that, his weary eyes giving Ed a confused look. If the boy wasn’t part of the army, the blonde might have thought it cute.

“They come by to ‘ask’ me to join the war.” Ed scoffed, “Like I want anything to do with their petty battles.”

“Fighting for Amestria is an honor-!”

“Fighting for anyone is a stupid decision.” Ed interrupted sharply, stabbing into the eggs a little too hard. Damn, now he had to make scrambled eggs. “Nothing good ever comes from war. People die over and over again, for what? Land? Pride? I don’t give a damn about either. Everyone else can just go fuck themselves.”

The teen was quiet and when Ed looked back, he caught the boy staring at him, mouth open wide. Ed rolled his eyes and turned back to his work. “Like I said, out of here after breakfast.”

“I…” the teen hesitated, coughing once, “I… don’t know where to go.”

Ed restrained the sigh that wanted to escape and gritted his teeth against snappy comments.

“I wasn’t paying attention when I ran and, by now, the camp is destroyed. I don’t know where the rest of my party is.” As he talked, Roy got quieter and quieter, as if he expected to incite Ed’s wrath. The blonde quickly counted down from ten in his mind before letting out that sigh.

“If any soldiers show up, and I mean _any_ , not just Amestria.” Ed turned to point his spatula at Roy. “I am handing you over. I am not getting caught in the middle of this.”

“Does…” Roy was fell quiet for a long time, long enough for Ed to turn back to his cooking. It was only when Ed turned away and took his burning gaze with him, that Roy finally spoke, “Does that mean you’ll let me stay?”

“Don’t you have family you should be looking for?” Ed asked in lieu of an answer.

“I don’t.” Roy mumbled quietly. “They went off to war when it first started. I went into the Away-Care system. When it became evident that… that they weren’t coming back, I was put into the foster system.”

Ed winced at that.

“I met my… my best friend there.” There was a hitch in Roy’s voice. “We joined the war just a few months ago. Yesterday, he…” the teen cut off, burying his face in his hands as his entire body drew in on itself, making him seem so much smaller, so much younger. Ed hated to think of just what happened to the teen’s friend, but the answer was obvious.

They were at war. There was only one thing that could happen, in a war between spell-casting nations thirsty for blood. The kid would be another casualty in a hundred year war.

Instead of giving pleasantries and nonsense comfort words, Ed dished up the eggs and some dried meat cuts and placed it in the boy’s hands. He set another plate down for Al and took his own on the windowsill.

“Eat.” He ordered, digging in himself.

They ate in silence, Al making appreciative sounds for his food.


	3. Hunting Season

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters, only the ideas, settings, and events in this fic and series. Please enjoy.
> 
> PS -I got my first gift, guys! :D I'm so happy!
> 
> PPS -I was thinking about doing another AU contest, but I'm not sure. I didn't get a lot of participation last time, but what do you guys think? I have 5 chapters left after this, that is 5 weeks. If you're interested, check out my profile by clicking on my author name and then my profile. The dates will be wrong, but the info is still right.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy!

After they had finished eating, Roy’s host threw a coat at him and said, “Get up, we’re going out.”

Scrambling to obey, Roy abandoned his blanket for the coat, hissing a little as the warmth escaped before being surrounded by thick, fire-warmed fabric. He sighed in pleasure.

“Ahem.” The blonde man raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, sorry!” the teen said as he scurried past and out the front door. The coat held firm against the chilly morning air and Roy couldn’t help but burrow down into it. The door closed behind him and a ball of fur brushed past as Al took off into the woods. “Ah! Wait!”

“Let ‘em go,” his host ordered lazily. “He’ll run around a bit and then find us when he’s ready.”

“Y-you aren’t scared of traps?” Roy asked hesitantly.

“I’ve found all the traps on this side of the mount,” Edward said, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. “But Al’s smart. He’s seen what these traps look like. Ain’t no way he’s gonna get caught.”

“If you insist,” Roy mumbled, keeping close behind the blonde as he started walking. “Where are we going, exactly?”

“Huntin’.” Came his answer. “Don’t think meat grows on trees, do y’?”

“Of course not,” Roy said. He knew meat came from animals –typically cows, pigs, and chickens. But he’d never…

“Ever shot a gun?” Ed asked, looking back to raise an eyebrow at the teen. The brunette was kind of surprised that he didn’t do a face plant with how many roots and vines covered the ground. Roy was having a hard enough time keeping up without looking up from his feet.

“N-no,” Roy answered. “I was in the special division, not the armed forces.”

The man scoffed, “Figures.”

Roy hunched further into his coat.

“Deer travel in the morning or close to night.” The blonde said. “It’s still early, so we should be able to find a few stragglers. Ever had venison?”

Roy didn’t answer, pondering the man’s other words. Roy… thought he knew what deer looked like. He was pretty sure they had four legs and a head… but there weren’t any around Central and the fighting had pretty much scared off any near camp. He… thought he remembered seeing one in a book once…

“You  _do_  know what deer are, right?” the blonde asked when Roy didn’t answer.

“Um… I think so?” the brunette answered. “They look kind of like a small horse?”

Ed raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes as he continued on. “ _Small horse_ , he says.”

“Hey! It does!” Roy defended, flustered. “I saw it in a book once! It’s got the shape of a horse and walks on its tiptoes! The males have-!”

“Sh!” the blonde ordered, holding a hand out to halt the boy. Immediately, Roy cut off, slowing to a crawl as he scanned the area. Roy hadn’t heard the cracking of twigs or rustling of leaves, but his heart sped up anyway. Had soldiers found them? Where they surrounded? Would Ed-?!

While Roy panicked, Edward gently lifted the rifle strap over his head and lifted the safety off. Bracketing the butt to his shoulder, the blonde took careful aim. Roy didn’t see what he was aiming at until the man let out a breath and pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew between the miniscule space of two trees and straight through the heart of a sleek brown animal. The shot rang out, echoing through the forest and causing it to fall deathly quiet. The deer dropped without a sound, just the rustle of leaves on the ground.

“ _That_  is a deer.” Ed said as he put the safety back on and hitched his rifle over his shoulder. Roy stared on in horror. He had long grown used to men attacking other men and people defending themselves against the onslaught of war, but this…

The deer hadn’t hurt anyone!

“Why did you do that?!” he demanded, skittering to follow the man as Ed stalked through the forest to get his kill. “The deer didn’t do anything to you!”

“No, it didn’t.” Ed agreed. “But that’s the way the world works. Deer eat grass, predators eat deer, and when predators die, they nourish the soil that will grow grass and other plant life –so on and so forth.” The blonde paused. “Did they never teach you the circle of life?”

“The what?” Roy asked, but the man just shook his head.

“Honestly, the things they teach kids these days. No appreciation for the basics…” Ed sighed as they came upon the body of the deer. It was a doe, well-fed from the mountain’s abundance. To its side, there was a faltering fawn that gave a startled bleat and stumbled over its own two feet.

“What’s this one?” Roy asked, reaching a hand towards the fawn. “It’s got spots on it!”

“It’s a deer,” Ed answered, “A baby one.”

“A baby-?!” the teen whirled on the blonde. “You killed its mom!”

“I did.” Ed said, kneeling and tugging his pack off of his shoulders. It got tangled in the rifle strap, so he had to take a minute to separate them.

“Do you have no  _shame_?!”

“Do I have no _shame_?” Ed repeated, glaring at the teen. Roy took a startled step back. “Why would I need to feel  _shame_  for  _surviving_?!”

“You didn’t need to kill it!” Roy protested. “Why didn’t you just go to a near-by village and  _buy_ -?!”

“Because the nearest village is a half day’s walk from here?” Ed raised an eyebrow as he dug rope out of his pack. “Because, even then, they only have enough livestock for eggs and milk? No meat to spare? Meat and fur is what I trade in, kid. It’s my lively hood and  _before_  you tell me to get another one,” Ed shot the boy a look as the teen snapped his mouth shut, “I want you to think of what it is  _you_  do.”

Roy winced and tugged the coat hood over his head.

“You kill other men because someone told you to. Going by the slight degree of hypothermia, I’d say you use fire to roast them and turn them to ash.” The man continued. “At least in my case, I make use of it. I eat the meat, salt what I can, sell what I can’t, and make an honest living. Can you really say the same for yourself?”

“But…” Roy argued weakly. “The baby…”

“And war never left someone orphaned?” the blonde asked, not looking up as he tied the deer’s legs to a convenient stick. The baby scurried around, terrified of the humans, but not wanting to leave its mother. With the legs tightly tied, Ed took the extra rope and started on a slip knot. “You yourself said that the war took your parents. Don’t go trying t’preach t’me.”

Roy twisted his fingers together under the hem of his coat. He watched with dark eyes as the man finished his knot and threw the loop over the fawn’s head. The animal squawked in fear and tried to bolt, causing the knot to tighten around its neck. Feeling the constriction, the fawn quickly turned back, only for the leaves to slide under it and its legs to fly out from beneath its tiny body.

“Here.” The man said, shoving the other end of the rope into Roy’s hands. “Lead it. I’ll carry the other.”

Looking down at the fawn sadly, Roy gave the make-shift lead a careful tug. The fawn wobbled to its feet and tugged back, stubborn as an ass, even so small. Slowly, but surely, Roy coaxed it along as Ed went ahead with its mother. Al found them on the way back and nipped at the heels of the fawn to keep it moving, making sure not to draw blood.

“Tie it to the post there.” Ed ordered as he took the mother around back. “Al, guard them until I get back.”

Roy wanted to protest that he didn’t need guarding, but the blonde was already walking. The fox gave Roy a determined look and sat its rump down with a nod. Roy’s eyebrows rose of their own accord.

Did the fox know human speech?

“Can you understand me?” Roy asked, hesitant. The fox tilted its head, ears twitching once. Roy frowned. “I’ll take that as a no.”

The fox yipped and nudged Roy towards the post Ed had pointed out. The post had a small metal ring in it just big enough for the rope to slide through. Around it, the grass was plush, though uneven in a way the lawns and parks in Central never were.

Slipping the rope through the ring, Roy did his best to tie the fawn down. It couldn’t be much harder than tying his shoes, right?

Except the fawn darted as soon as he let go and the rope flew away without restraint.

“Shoot!” Roy hissed as he dove for the rope. Al dove for the fawn, yapping as he ran circles around it, confusing the poor animal. While it was distracted, Roy grabbed hold of the rope and wrestled the fawn back to the post. His second try proved to be better.

“I was just coming back to check on you,” Ed said as he came from the back of the house. He was wiping his hands on a towel. At first, Roy thought it was brown, but then he realized the towel was stiff with dried blood. “I heard Al yapping and thought you were in trouble. Glad to know you aren’t.”

“Have you never  _washed_  that thing?” Roy asked with obvious disgust.

The blonde looked down at the towel before shrugging and throwing it over his shoulder. “I’m draining the deer right now, so don’t go back there. It won’t be good for a city-boy like you.”

Roy wanted to disagree, but he had no idea what ‘draining’ meant. He figured the least he knew the better.

He was pretty sure the towel was a hint.

“I’ll show you the garden after lunch.” Ed continued as he bent to sit on his heels. Al tore across the ground, jumping up one knee to scale his shoulder and curl comfortably around the back of his neck. The man smiled, a small thing that had Roy’s knees going weak for reasons beyond him. “You’ll work there to repay me for the room and board.”

“Um… I…” Roy frowned and rubbed his arms for some friction. His coat was thick and he was the warmest he had been in _months_ , but he could still feel the occasional bite of chill. “I’ve never...”

“There ain’t much to it,” The man interrupted. “Figured you’d be able to do it, even for a city-boy.”

“A-all right,” Roy agreed. Ed was like a tornado, forceful and pulling Roy in all directions and completely unaware of his effect.

“Now, come on,” The blonde ordered, standing with his fox still balanced on his shoulders. “We need to take care of that fawn.”

Roy shivered at the words and again when the man lifted his rifle from his back. However, the man turned towards his house and slipped inside, holding the door open for Roy to follow. The fire was still burning bright and the house was several degrees warmer than outside. Roy hadn’t been aware that his toes were numb until he stepped inside.

Ed propped his rifle up in the corner of the room and turned to what Roy guessed to be an enchanted freezer. His guess was right, but it was not quite freezing everything, simply kept its contents cool.

From it, Ed pulled out a jar of white liquid that Roy recognized instantly as  _milk_.

“I  _hate_  this stuff.” Ed muttered as he poured the milk into a smaller, taller jar. “But Al likes it enough and it’s good for these situations.”

“You’re feeding it?”

“Kid, I may shoot deer for a living, but I ain’t heartless.” The blonde rolled his eyes as he stretched a rubber cap over the lid of the small jar. As he went to cork the other, Al pawed at it and chirped sadly.

“You’ll get some with dinner.” Ed grumbled, putting the jar back in the cooler. “Besides, little Bambi out there will be hungry.”

“Doesn’t it need to be warmed up first?” Roy asked.

“It’ll warm up fast enough.” Ed answered as he made his way out again. Roy followed, curious. Was the man going to use magic to warm it up? How could he do it with fire? It would shatter the glass before warming the milk.

Outside, the little fawn bleated and grunted as it fought the rope lead. Once Ed and Roy came back out, it froze, as if being still enough would keep them from noticing it.

“You ought to do it.” Ed said as he passed the bottle off to Roy. “I’ve got the scent of the mom’s blood on my hands.”

Taking the bottle, Roy was astonished to find that the milk was skin temperature, not chilled like it should be. Before he could question it, the fawn had caught the scent of its meal and was cautiously stepping forward.

Kneeling, Roy offered it the rubber cap and held very, very still as it sniffed and lipped at it. When it finally started suckling, Roy broke into a wide grin. There was just something absolutely precious about the orphaned fawn drinking from his hands.

Off to the side, Edward looked on, a strange look in his eyes.


	4. The Real Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist or its characters, only the plot and events in this fic.
> 
> PS - With this, the fic is half-way done. I haven't started on the next one yet, but I have a few one-shots that I want to make sequels to, so I might take some time to do that. I'm reaching the end of my college career, so time is a precious commodity.

“I just need you to pull out weeds and water the plants.” Ed explained as he walked back to his garden. The kid clumped along behind him, seeming to step on every damned twig in the yard. “When something has ripened, just break it off and put it in that basket there.”

“Okay.” Roy said, voice unsure.

“If you aren’t certain, ask me.” Ed stated. “You shouldn’t be here too long, but there are a few things like tomatoes and peppers that have already started growing. Carrots and potatoes there require a spade, but I’m not harvesting them until closer to winter.”

“Got it.” Roy said, more determination in his voice.

“This,” Ed bent down to pull a weed out by its roots. Al managed to stay balanced through the whole motion and remained perched on his shoulders when he straightened. “Is a weed. The thorny leaves are a bit of a give-away, but I want to make sure you don’t start pulling my holly by mistake.”

Roy held out a hand to accept the plant, looking at it curiously.

“Make sure to grab it down by the base and pull out all the roots.” Ed explained, crossing his arms. “If you leave roots, the weed’ll grow back by the next day.”

Roy frowned, “Why don’t you just cast an agricultural spell?”

“Because then what would _you_ have to do?” Ed grinned all shark-like. The kid looked up and hunched his shoulders. “Water is in that pump over there. Just fill a bucket and pour it into one of the irrigation lines I dug here. The lines are already spaced evenly and all, so all you have to do is fill them.”

“All right.” Roy said, looking to the pump and bucket.

“You know how to work one of those, right?” Ed asked, dubious.

Roy scowled at him. Ed shrugged, “Just checking.”

“What’s that?” the kid asked, pointing to one of the two buildings Ed had built over the years.

“That’s the chicken coop.” Ed answered. “You saw the out-house earlier.”

Roy grimaced. Yeah, he probably remembered the smell.

“I’ve got a couple hens and one rooster.” The blonde continued as he walked back. Al perked up, nails digging into Ed’s shoulder. Before he opened the door, the older man grabbed Al by the scruff and bullied him into the crook of his arm.

Al let out a mournful croon.

“Make sure the door here stays closed.” Ed ordered, as he opened it and gestured Roy inside. He firmly shut the door behind them. “I don’t want the chickens getting out or Al getting in. Once was enough for me.”

The chickens inside were clucking excitedly, probably because Ed was there, _maybe_ because Al was.

“I will put them in the fenced area outside sometime during the day and keep a watch on Al. Otherwise, they are to remain in here. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” Roy answered, straightening at the commanding tone. Immediately after, he blushed at the military habit, embarrassed.

“Good.” Ed said. He nodded to a corner, “Now grab that wire basket there and see if there are any eggs this morning.”

Roy followed his orders to the letter, even when the hens weren’t so happy with him sticking his hands in their nests. He made for an entertaining sight anyway.

“Hmm, eight.” Ed counted off. “There’ll be a few extra. Typically, I’d take them to town and sell, but with you here, it’s probably better to have a surplus.”

Roy grunted, examining where one of the hens had scratched his arm when he rolled up his sleeves.

The kid would learn better soon enough.

“Take those and put them in the kitchen for now.” Ed ordered, giving Al a stroke down his back. The fox made a rumbling sound that wasn’t really a purr, but Ed didn’t have a better name for. “Go ahead and take a quick look around the garden too. Tell me if there’s anything you don’t recognize and I’ll tell you if it’s a weed or not.”

Roy nodded and hot-footed it out of the hen house. Ed took a moment to batten down the door behind him before setting Al onto his shoulders again and followed at a slower pace. Roy was coming back from the house by the time Ed made it to the front of the garden.

“I’ve seen those before.” Roy said, pointing to where a few tomato plants were ensconced in wires. “And the corn beside it. I’ve seen the grapes and strawberries and bell peppers. What are those?”

“Broccoli.” Ed answered.

Roy wrinkled his nose, “That’s what it looks like in the ground?”

“Yup.” Ed said, scratching at Al’s cheek.

“I think those are the carrots and potatoes you mentioned before.” Roy said, walking along the cultivated grounds and pointing out the plants.

“That’s onion, actually.” Ed said, looking at the long leaves, “But you got carrots right. Potatoes are over there.”

“Are these blue berries?” Roy asked, moving on to the next plant.

“And black and red raspberries.” Ed replied. “Got to have a variety.”

“This is more variety than I seem in the market place in Central!” Roy exclaimed as he continued to wander through the patches. He paused and crouched, “This is a weed, right?”

“Yup.” Ed answered as he ambled along. “Go ahead and pull it.”

“What about this next to it?” Roy asked as he grabbed the plant by the base.

“No, that’s rosemary. We’re getting into the herbs now, so you have to pay more attention.” Ed said, crossing his arms. “I have rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano. I had some others but rabbits got into them, so there’s not much left this season.”

“That’s still pretty amazing.” Roy said quietly, looking at the plants Ed had pointed out.

“If you see any brown areas, pick them off and throw them in the basket, but otherwise leave them alone.” Ed shrugged, getting a nip from Al for the action.

Roy looked over to where the basket was sat on a barrel, but his eyes ended up off to the side. “What are those?”

“Those?” Ed turned to look where the kid was gesturing. Ed frowned. _Oh…_

“Those flowers.” Roy continued. “They’re the only ones you have in the garden. Everything else seems to have been planted with a practical reason in mind except those.”

“White chrysanthemums.” Ed answered, voice going a little flat. It always did whenever he looked at them. His heart always felt heavier because of what lay underneath them. “Did they teach you the language of flowers down in the city?”

“No?” Roy answered. “Why?”

“Just wondering.” Ed replied absently. He gave himself a shake and turned. “You know what the weeds look like now, so go ahead and get to work. I’m going to take care of the rest of the deer. We’ll head down to town tomorrow to sell off extra meat and grab some supplies.”

“Yes sir.” Roy answered, a frown on his face. He seemed to know better than to ask though.

 _That’s good_ , Ed thought. _The boy is learning_.

Ed left him to his task and turned back towards his house. The deer was hung up on the other side, away from where the kid would see it. It was still leaking sluggishly, but Ed didn’t pay it any mind. Instead, he grabbed his tools from the box nearby and got to work.

It took a few hours, but once the deer was picked clean, Ed set his tools aside and wrapped the meat up tight in some butcher paper he had set out just for this. Wiping his hands on his blood rag, Roy’s earlier words came back to Ed.

_Don’t you ever wash that thing?_

No, Ed didn’t. Honestly, he’d tried at first, but the blood never really came out so he just gave up. It was a futile effort.

Looking up, he realized that the sun was starting to set and that the two of them would need dinner soon. He’d have to turn in early tonight in order to get up early the next day. It would take half a day to get to town and do his business. It would be better to reach the town before nightfall.

Taking a few minutes to store the meat in his cooler, he grabbed the jar of milk and refilled the bottle for the fawn. Outside, he turned towards the garden first.

“Hey kid!” Ed called to the teen who was stooped over the garden. There were piles of weeds littering the ground between the rows of plants. It was obvious the brunette had just pulled them and left them there, but Ed didn’t mind too much. “Go ahead and throw the weeds in the kindling pile over there so they dry out. Then come with me; the fawn needs feeding again.”

“Yes, sir.” Roy answered, getting up and dusting off his knees. It was a futile attempt as the dirt was very much ground into that dark blue uniform. Ed was positive it made the military colors look so much _better._

The kid’s hands were also covered with dirt up to his elbows where he’d rolled up his sleeves. At some point, he had also unbuttoned the coat, but it was still firmly hugging his shoulders, obviously to fend off the cold that he felt better than Ed.

With the weeds in their proper place, Ed handed over the bottle and the two made their way over to the fawn. It was nestled into the grassiest place available within length of the rope, legs folded up underneath it. Ed always forgot how small fawns were until he saw them like this. Al, who had taken off into the woods some hours earlier, was bigger than the poor thing.

As soon as it saw Roy, the fawn wobbled to its feet, ears craning back to listen for predators even as it crept closer to the teen. The brunette offered the bottle and the fawn took to it happily enough, suckling until it was dry.

“Will it be okay while we go to town?” Roy asked, holding the bottle until the fawn was sure it was done. “You said it took half a day.”

“Yeah, there and back.” Ed replied, “Planning on staying the night and heading out early in the morning both ways. For the fawn, though, we’re taking it with us. I’ve got some friends at the bottom of the mountains that take care of orphaned animals like this. We can’t afford to let populations run low, after all, and they’re better equipped to handle it than I am.”

Roy was silent for a while as the fawn decided it was finished and settled itself back in its make-shift nest. Finally, he spoke, “Can I ask you something?”

Ed raised an eyebrow, “You just did.”

Roy scowled, “I mean something _else_.”

Ed’s lips twisted just a bit at how easy it was to rile the youth, but he answered with a shrug.

“You are the powerful spell caster that I’ve heard about around camp.” Roy stated, brow furrowed, “You are said to have enough power to end the war! Why do you weed a garden by hand or fill a bucket by pump? Why don’t you use that power?”

Ed sighed, knowing that it would have come up eventually.

He had to hand it to the kid. He seemed to be genuinely curious and he asked _politely_ where his superiors had sniped and snarled and _ordered_ Ed to join before being thrown out flat on their asses. Ed… felt more inclined to share with this clumsy child than he ever did with the President himself when he had come to visit.

Rolling his shoulders, Ed nodded his head to his house. “Go inside. I’ll fix us up some dinner and tell you my reasoning.”

Roy nodded and hurried in.

“Wiped off your feet before you go in!” Ed ordered, not wanting to step on dirt clods at ass o’clock the next morning.

At the sound of ‘dinner’, Al had come running back from the woods, bursting through the tree line and chirping excitedly as he wove between Ed’s legs.

“You little brat.” Ed huffed out a laugh. “I know you were stalking prey all afternoon! How can you still be hungry?”

Al chirped and reached up with his paws to Ed’s hip, nose twitching. Ed rolled his eyes and picked the fox up. “Come on, I’ll give you your food.”

Al made a questioning yip.

“ _Yes,_ you can have the milk.” Ed rolled his eyes as he stepped in. “Honestly, have no idea why you even _like_ that stuff!”

“Like what stuff?” Roy asked from where he was scrubbing his hands at the sink.

“Nothing.” Ed replied, dropping Al onto the counter and digging through the cooler for the meal that night. He could probably spice up some cubed meat fry it up real fast. Throw it together with some mashed potatoes from his last batch and lots of butter and pepper; add a little green to the side.

Yeah, that sounded nice.

That’s exactly what Ed did.

Half an hour later, they were sitting down to a nice, home-cooked meal that Ed could see Roy salivating over. The blonde wondered, briefly, if he should have made a kitchen table at some point, but then remembered that Roy was going to be leaving in a few days and scratched the thought from his mind.

“So, you were going to tell me the reason you don’t use magic?” Roy prompted as he shoved a fork full of potatoes into his mouth.

How does one go about telling the story of one’s life? Ed tapped his fork against his plate in thought before starting. “Let me tell you a story…”

Roy paused, fork halfway to his mouth. He frowned and shoved it in.

“Once upon a time, there was a man and a woman.” Ed stared down at his food. “They tried for years to get pregnant and when they found that the woman was with child, they were overjoyed. When the child came, however, and the elder of the town divined their magic, this is what they said: _This child’s magic is a deadly force. It is an all-consuming inferno, taking the most precious thing from the child when it is used. It can only be used once._ ”

Roy was eating slower now, eyes focused on his plate, but Ed could tell his ears were straining to catch every word the blonde said.

Ed himself had lost his appetite.

“The woman took this to mean that the magic would kill the child, taking its life as a price. She grew depressed and scared of the child that held so much power within it. When she found that she had a second on the way, she made the first disappear, hoping to fill the fear and sorrow it left behind with joy and happiness.”

Roy looked up sharply, face appalled.

 _If he thought that was bad, he will hate how the story ends_. Ed thought as he continued.

“The first child was left to wander, fear following in its wake as every diviner said the same as that first so long ago. Villagers were afraid and would clear the streets when they heard the elders speak. Finally, the child grew tired of people and their fickle ways and made a life in the forest where no one would dare to tread.”

Al cocked his head from where he was perched over his own plate. He bent quickly to lick up the last of the milk in his saucer and the last meat juice from his plate before padding over.

“The mother spent years locking away memories of that first child, raising her second to be courageous and kind. That second child grew strong in both body and magic and as such, he was drafted into the military and into the fierce war that was being waged. Because of his kindness, he found himself dead before the week was out.”

Al leapt onto Ed’s lap and made himself comfortable, tail tucked close. Ed smiled down at him and stroked a hand down his spine before sobering again.

“The mother was distraught. She had no one but that second child left as the father had had been called to war and died at the front when the first child had disappeared. She sought out that child now, finding his house and begging him to use his power to bring back a brother he had never met.” Ed grimaced, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

He saw the moment that Roy connected the dots, his face dawning with horror. Edward continued anyway.

“That child, now a man, was disgusted with her and slammed the door in her face. For who would trade their life for someone who had scorned them? The next morning, the woman was found dead on his porch, having killed herself in the night.”

The room fell silent when Ed finished his tale. Weary, he looked up to the teen, “Tell me, Roy. Is it wrong to refuse to use magic that will take my life? Even if it means that I don’t end a war that should never have started? If I feel no love for a brother I never knew?”

Ed knew he wouldn’t get an answer. The kid was just that, a kid, a _child_ thrown into the world of adults much too soon.

Instead, Ed picked at his plate, forcing himself to eat something before putting his dirty dishes in the sink. “Come on. I have some blankets I can throw down for you. We have an early morning.”


	5. One foot in front of the other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters, only the plot and events in this fic.
> 
> PS - Hi everyone! Glad to see you all again. :) No one's taken up my competition/gift option. Probably because no one reads these things. They just see disclaimer and skip right over it! Kind of makes what I write here seem inconsequential. 
> 
> Anyway, have fun reading!

They were up before dawn the next day. Ed had packed small overnight bags for them as he figured they would stay in the village during the night. He had also wrapped up the spare venison in a bag that would double as their grocery sack on the trip home. When he had everything gathered up, he nudged the kid awake

“Hey, get up.” Ed ordered, “It’s time to get going.”

The kid grumbled from his pile of blankets on the floor, but pushed himself up regardless. His jaw cracked in a yawn as he shuffled to his feet and made an effort to fold up the blankets.

“Just a quick two-fold will do.” Ed pointed out from the kitchen. He dug around in the cooler for something breakfast worthy. “Don’t need to make it all military crisp. Just throw them onto the end of my bed. It should keep the bugs from getting at them.

“Yes’ir.” Roy mumbled, still blinking sleep out of his eyes.

Snorting to himself, Ed pulled out a couple eggs to fry up and a couple pieces of jerky for the road. The eggs went fast with little seasoning added, not that he thought the kid minded. The brunette, with his messy bedhead, looked like he’d eat whatever was placed in front of him without knowing what, exactly, he was shoving into his mouth. If Ed were a mean person, he’d take advantage of that, but he didn’t. He liked to think he was nice like that.

“Finish up those.” Ed ordered, shoving a plate into Roy’s hands. “We’ll be heading out as soon as you’re done.”

“Yes, sir.” Roy said, a little more clearheaded. He dug into the fried eggs with a passion Ed could get behind before giving his plate a quick wash in the sink. As promised, as soon as he’d finished, the blonde shoved a pack into his hands.

“You’re in charge of the overnight bag.” Ed explained, shrugging a larger bag over his shoulder. “I’ve already fed the fawn, so it’ll be good to head down the mountain.”

“Are you carrying it?” Roy asked, shifting the bag in his arms to his shoulders.

“No,” Ed shook his head. “If you handle deer too much, it can cause them health problems. Any wild animal shouldn’t be handled too much, but prey animals are especially sensitive since they can’t distinguish humans from other predators. All they know is that they’ve been caught and when prey gets caught, it dies.”

“O-oh.” Roy frowned, rubbing his arms through the thick coat he still had wrapped around him. “I see.”

“You’re going to have to lead it down.” Ed continued as he pushed them both outside. Al came bounding up as that exact moment, licking his chops as if to get rid of evidence. “I’ve got some milk with us if it takes bribery, but it seemed to like you yesterday.”

“It did?” the confused look on the kid’s face was cute.

Al danced around Ed’s feet, almost like he was trying to trip him, but Ed knew better. “No shoulders today, bud. I’m not letting you eat up our merchandise.”

Al made a few sad chuffs, but relented, keeping pace with the blonde. Undoing the knot to the fawn’s lead with one hand wasn’t easy, but Ed had practice. That, and the kid’s knot-tying skills sucked ass. The only reason the fawn stayed was probably because it was just too weak to pull the lead free.

Once the rope was free of the post, he handed it over to Roy and nodded to a faint path in the trees. “We’re going that way. Try to keep up.”

“I made it _up_ here, didn’t I?” Roy grumbled, allowing the fawn to sniff at his hand before gently coaxing it along. It took a few steps and gently tugging, but soon the fawn was ambling along beside him, legs wobbly like a newborn.

“You took the path up the west side of the mountain.” Ed retorted. “That’s the shortest path to the house, even if it is a bit more treacherous. It takes, at most, three hours to climb and maybe an hour to scale down, if you’re moving slow and taking care not to trip –less if you don’t mind getting a little dirty. The way we’re going takes longer and has a smoother descent. The town is in the east, too, so there’s that to consider.”

“Isn’t that a little backwards?” Roy asked, following the blonde as he stepped under the cover of trees and trotted along. “Shouldn’t the town be closer to you than the other path?”

“Given that I hadn’t wanted to have any _people_ running up and finding my place,” Ed scowled at the path ahead, “It made sense to have the town far enough away to discourage visitors.”

“But I found you just fine.” Roy pointed out.

“I didn’t take into account that a _war_ would push along the western side.” Ed huffed. “If I had _known_ I would have built my house somewhere else.”

Roy grew quiet before asking, “How long have you been alive? The war front has been on this boarder for the past four decades and talks of it heading this way had been about for a decade prior –yet you don’t look a day over eighteen. How long have you been here?”

“How long I wonder…?” it wasn’t an answer and it was barely loud enough for Roy to hear. The questions died regardless and they continued on in silence.

About three hours into their trip, the sun had risen to where it could be seen on the western side of the mountain peaks. Roy was panting by now, but his feet continued on in the monotonous rhythm of marching that had come with long campaign routes. Something wet trickled down his brow and onto the bridge of his nose. He swiped it away with his free hand, only to stop and stare at his palm.

Al’s ears twitched when the second set of footprints stopped and paused to look back. He gave a short chirp to get Ed’s attention and then trotted back to Roy. The blonde paused at the fox’s call and peered back, curious.

“You okay there, Roy?” Ed asked, concerned. He knew the military had soldiers march for days on end sometimes, but he wasn’t sure if Roy was used to it, since he was in the Special Division and only sixteen, physically anyway.

“I’m sweating!” the brunette said, holding up his slick palm with a bright smile.

Ed raised an eyebrow. “O~kay? That tends to happen when people take a hike through the forest…”

“No, I’m _sweating_!” Roy repeated, face lit up like it was his birthday. “I’m warm enough to sweat!”

Ed blinked before remembering the state he’d found the kid in on his porch. Roy’s lips had been blue from cold and his fingers dark with near-frostbite. If the kid had stayed another night out in the chilly mountain air, he’d probably have frozen to death from the drain on his magic and health.

Now, he was beaming at the thought of being _sweaty_.

The things war –and _magic_ –did to you.

“I haven’t sweat in so long.” Roy said, awe in his voice.

Ed restrained his rage and concern enough to shoot the kid a small smile. “Bet you’ll be tugging that coat off by the time we make it down to the town.”

“Really?!” Roy looked way too excited to be getting hot and sweaty from hiking down a mountain, but Ed wouldn’t change it for the world.

Unfortunately, the fawn had taken their brief stop to mean that it was naptime and plopped right down on the grassy underbrush, legs folded beneath it.

“Ah!” Roy yelped when the fawn tugged on its make-shift lead. “No! We need to keep going!”

“It’s all right.” Ed waved him off. “It’s probably feeding time for it anyway. We’ll take a few minutes to rest and then start back up.”

“But –but!” Roy looked disappointed as he huddled into his coat.

“I’m sure it won’t take long enough for you to cool down.” Ed promised, setting his bag on the ground and digging into the one on Roy’s back. Al perked up at the sight of a milk bottle in his hands. Ed narrowed his eyes on the fox. “It’s not for you, Al, so don’t get any bright ideas.”

Regardless, the fox reached up with both paws, eyes intent on the bottle. The blonde raised it higher. “ _No_ , Al.”

The fox made a mournful noise and started biting at Ed’s pant legs.

“If you ruin another pair of my pants, I won’t buy it anymore.”

Al yipped and skittered off, shooting Ed a look as if to say ‘ _who, me?_ ’

Securing the rubber cap in place, Ed handed Roy the bottle. The brunette accepted it and squatted to offer it to the fawn. The little one grunted and latched on, drinking as if it hadn’t eaten in days thought Ed knew he’d fed it only a few hours ago. Little fibber.

Al stared mournfully as the baby drank its fill.

“I’m a little surprised…” Roy spoke as he held the bottle steady. “The fawn was left out overnight, yet no predators came for it. And we’ve been walking these woods for the past three hours, but none have come for the fresh killed meat. If not predators, then at least scavengers…?”

“I don’t run into any unless I actively go looking for them.” Ed stated, leaning against a tree and allowing Al to run up his leg to his shoulder. “At least my curse is useful for things like that.”

Roy looked over, confusion prominent on his face.

Ed watched as the fawn finished the last of the bottle, then pushed himself off the tree. Taking the empty bottle from Roy, he capped it correctly and pushed it back into the boy’s bag. “I’ll tell you more later. Right now, we need to get to the base of the mountain.”

“What are we going to do with the fawn?” Roy asked, looking back down at the baby deer that looked, for all intents and purposes, like it was ready to sleep the day away.

“Just give it a little nudge.” Ed replied, pushing Al off his shoulder in order to sling his sack back in place. “Al, give ‘em a nip.”

The fox shot over, tail held high behind him. Sharp teeth nipped playfully at the fawn’s ears, making the baby raise its head. A soft bite to the shoulder had the forelegs striking out and a bat to the tail with dull claws had the rest of the fawn stumbling upright. A gentle tug on the lead was all it took to get the fawn dancing forward again and start up their journey once more.

The following hours were quiet as they trudged on. Partway through, Roy had to juggle his pack and the fawn’s lead as he struggled to get his coat off. Ed had been right. It was hot. The blonde had just looked back, smiled, and continued on down the path.

Soon, Roy could hear the sounds of a village –the strikes of a blacksmith, the calls of neighbors, and the racket of a small market. His paces became quicker as his eagerness rose. It had been so long since he had seen a town, let alone one not ravaged by the war. This one still sounded cheerful, as if there wasn’t a battle raging just miles away and like crops hadn’t been pillaged and burned by any of the advancing armies.

Just before they stepped through the tree line, Ed held out his hand to make Roy stop. Confused, the boy obeyed, slowing to a halt beside the man and giving him a quizzical look.

“You need to lose the cloak.” The blonde said, nodding to his Special Division robe. It was a bit dirty and was stained green in some places, but Roy didn’t think he looked too bad. “And your uniform top. If they suspect you’re military, they won’t be so nice.”

And it dawned on Roy what Ed was getting at. He had to hide his colors and rank so that no one recognized him as an Amestrian soldier. It hurt Roy down in the pit of his gut, but he knew it was the best thing to do.

Handing Ed the rope lead, Roy shrugged off his pack, followed by his robe and uniform jacket. Dressed only in a white dress shirt and a dirt-stained pair of blue pants, Roy shivered in a light breeze and silently threw Ed’s coat on to trap the heat he’d lost.

“Better?” Roy asked, turning to Ed. The blonde looked him up and down, golden eyes roaming over his form and making Roy’s cheeks heat the slightest bit.

“You’ll do.” Ed said with a teasing smirk. “Now grab your stuff. First stop is the Curtis Butchery, then the Tucker Wild-Life Rescue.”

“Tucker?” Roy perked, “As in Shou Tucker?”

“Not on your life.” Ed spat into the dirt as if to rid his mouth of something foul. “I wouldn’t trust that maniac with goldfish! No, his daughter Nina runs the place. Me and her go way back. Much better option if you ask me.”

“How far is ‘way back’?” Roy asked, trying to be stealthy. The look Ed shot him told him he had missed by a mile.

“She’ll like you,” was all the blonde said before jerking his head towards the village. “Come on. Daylight’s burning!”


	6. Yellow Tulips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its character, only the plot and events seen in this fic.
> 
> We still have two weeks left on the contest I have. Any takers?

Ed headed off to the butcher alone, leaving Roy to wander the street as he waited.

“It won’t take long.” The man had said, “I just want to check in on an old friend.”

Shrugging, the boy had nodded and watched at the blonde walked off, leaving him, Al, and the fawn behind.

Not wanting to get too far away in case Ed came back, Roy looked around the store fronts on the same street. There was a baker down at the end that Roy could smell from where he stood. The aroma of fresh bread and pastries nearly had him walking over, but he knew he didn’t have any money on him and that Ed was currently bargaining for the best price on the meat.

Instead, the brunette looked over at a different shop, one surrounded by colorful flowers. Roy could admit that he was a little in awe of the variety of flowers. He’d never seen so many in one place or some many in different colors. He spotted the same type of flower in _at least_ five different hues!

Just as Roy squatted down to get a closer look, the door to the shop opened with a chime, belying the sharp shout that followed, “Hey! Get that thing away from my petunias!”

“Eh?” the brunette looked up to find a very irate woman glaring down at him. Flailing as he stood, he spotted the fawn out of the corner of his eye nibbling on some purple petals. A quick hand shot out to push the fawn’s nose away; Roy took a quick step back with it.

“I-I am so sorry!” Roy stuttered, keeping the fawn close to his side even as the little thing bleated and tried to stumble away. “I didn’t mean to cause any harm! I just wanted to look!”

“Calm down, kid.” The woman waved away his excuses. “You look like you’re going to pee yourself.”

“S-Sorry.” Roy answered, hiding beneath his coat.

The woman’s dark eyes took him in, recognizing the coat strung up around his shoulders. Curious, she tilted her head to the side. “Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you ‘round these parts. You new to the area?”

“Kind of.” Roy answered, “I got lost. Mr. Ed is letting me stay with him until… until I’m found.”

“Sounds like him, if you can believe it.” The woman huffed, a grin curving her stoic face. Roy couldn’t believe it, actually, but he didn’t disagree with her. “Which ones were you looking at?”

“Hmm?” When she pointed down, Roy glanced at the flowers. “Oh! Those ones over there. The ones with lots of colors.”

“The tulips.” The woman explained, crouching as Roy had been minutes before. “They come in lots of colors now. I can get just about any color imaginable, though some are a bit pricy. Red’s popular: it’s a sign of love, right next to roses. Pinks pretty popular too. It’s a sign of affection to friends and family.”

“What about the yellow one?” Roy asked. The shade reminded him of Ed’s hair, bright in the sunlight, and his eyes, reflecting the glow of a single candle.

The woman was quiet as she looked up at him. It took a moment before she finally spoke. “Who are they?”

“Huh?” Roy frowned. He wasn’t sure what she was getting at.

“Yellow tulips often stand for a one-sided or spurned love.” The woman explained, resting her chin in her hands. “Who’s the one that turned you down?”

The brunette blinked before his face went beet red. He waved his hands emphatically in front of him, “N-no! No one! I didn’t-! There’s not-!”

“Hey, Chris! What are you doing to that brat?”

Roy nearly sighed in relief when he recognized Ed’s familiar tone. The blonde looked a little suspicious, but overall like a cat that’d caught a canary. He must have gotten a good deal on the venison at the butchers.

“I’m keeping your boy here from eating my petunias!” the woman said as she struggled to her feet. Roy almost leant a hand to help, but he wasn’t sure if it would be appreciated.

“Eating your petunias?” Ed shot her a confused look. The woman jabbed a thumb down at the fawn who was at the end of its lead, sniffing at other plants. The man grimaced, “Right, forgot about that. How much do you want?”

“150 cenz.” The woman replied.

Ed quirked a brow as he dug out his wallet. “That’s cheap for a pot of petunias.”

“I’m not giving you petunias.” Chris replied, taking his money, “I’m giving you some tulip bulbs. You better bring any flowers they grow down the mountain, you hear?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ed sighed, grumbling at the worked he’d have to do to plant them. He wasn’t even sure what kind of sunlight they needed to grow right!

“Here you go.” Chris said, handing off a small bag with a few bulbs inside. “Don’t go letting your fawn eat anything else of mine, Elric!”

“I got it, I got it!” Ed groused, taking the bag from her and tucking it under his arm.

“And you behave, young man.” Chris said, turning to Roy.

“Y-Yes!” the boy said, snapping to attention. Chris gave him a strange look but let it pass.

Instead, she put a hand on his shoulder, “Take care of him.”

“What?” Roy tilted his head in confusion, but the woman was already turning away and walking back inside.

“Hey!” Ed called from down the road, “hurry up! I want to get there before dark!”

“C-coming!” Roy called back, walking as fast as he could with the fawn and Al at his heels.

“I wonder what color these are…” the blonde said aloud.

“Probably yellow.” Roy replied, his face reddening slightly.

“Why do you say that?” Ed asked, looking over at the teen.

“I… No reason.” Roy grumbled, tucking his hands into the pockets of his coat. “Yellow’s a pretty color.”

“Uh-huh.” Ed agreed, still giving Roy the eye. Soon, however, they had reached a long, one-story building with a large porch and rows of fencing wrapping around behind it. At the front, there was a sign that read “Dubith’s Wildlife Rescue”. Ed went right up to the door and pushed it open, calling, “Hello? We’re here!”

The space inside was quaint. There was a counter that sectioned off half the room with a single swinging door to allow people behind it. The rest of the room was taken up by what seemed to be a waiting area, though why one was needed, Roy didn’t know.

“Just a sec’!” a woman hollered from one of two doors behind the counter. There was a crash somewhere, some squealing and whimpering that Roy was sure were animals running amok before the woman came into view. “Hey there, Ed!”

The woman was tall, taller than Roy and Ed at least. She had long brown hair that was twisted up into two braids which flowed down her back. She wore a simple forest-green flannel jacket and khaki pants. Roy thought she might be trying to become one with the trees. Her smile was bright though, and her eyes warm.

“Hi Nina.” Ed grinned, leaning on the counter to look behind her towards the door she had just exited. “Something going on back there?”

“Some patients didn’t want their vaccinations.” Nina replied with a huff, hands on her hips. Glancing at Roy, she cooed, “And who do we have here?”

“Uh, Roy, Miss Nina.” The boy answered.

“Aw, he’s a cutie.” The woman laughed. “Calling me ‘Miss Nina’. I like you!”

“Hey, you weren’t so different yourself a while back, you know.” Ed chuckled, twisting so that his back was to the counter so he could regard Roy. “Calling me ‘Big Brother Edward’ and all. What happened to that cute kid?”

Nina’s face went bright red as she fumed, “That _kid_ grew up three decades ago and you know it, Elric!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ed waved off her anger with a flippant gesture. “Good times, good times.”

“Was there actually a _reason_ in coming to see me, besides trying to start something?” Nina grumbled, crossing her arms.

“Yes, actually, there is.” Ed straightened up and walked around Roy to nudge the fawn forward. “We’ve got a baby here that lost its mom. We were hoping you had some room still available.”

“Oh…” Nina cooed sadly, leaning over the counter to peer at the fawn that grunted nervously at Roy’s side. The boy kept his eyes up, even as the woman’s ample cleavage pressed against the counter. “Poor baby! What happened to the mother?”

“It’s currently at Teacher’s place.” Ed replied without preamble. He received a sharp look, but he just shrugged, “I didn’t know, Nina, but I wasn’t going to leave it out there alone. You know I never do.”

Nina sighed and walked around to the small swinging door. “I know, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

The blonde was silent as he watched his friend interact with the fawn. Roy was just as silent as he watched the man and woman interact. Finally, Ed spoke up, “we fed it roughly three hours ago, so it’s bound to be hungry again. We’ve also been walking since sun up, so it’ll probably settle in real nice.”

“They always do if they’re tired.” Nina noted absently, holding her hand out for the fawn to sniff at. She gently tugged the rope lead out of Roy’s hands and led the fawn back behind the counter. “I’ll give it a quick check up and meal before I settle it in out back.”

“Will it…” Roy bit at his lower lip, wondering what it was he wanted to say, “Will it be all right? Without a mom?”

“It’ll be fine.” Nina smiled at him. “We have a few does that are content to take on a new fawn. It won’t be going hungry, that’s for sure, and it will probably do better here than out on its own.”

“Can… Can I come visit?” the boy asked. He had only known the fawn for a day or so, but he was already attached. He was sad to see it leave.

Nina’s smile turned sad, “I’m afraid that’s not possible. This is a wild rescue center. The animals we rehabilitate are meant to go back into the wild at some point. They won’t survive if they learn to rely on humans too much. The best we can do is keep to ourselves and let nature take its course unless a situation becomes too dire.”

“I… I see.” Roy replied. He watched as the fawn was escorted out the other door under Nina’s careful guidance. His shoulders sagged when it disappeared from sight.

Ed watched the boy, golden eyes bright, before turning towards the door. “Come on, let’s go. I need to hit the market before it’s closed today. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning.”

The rest of the shopping went by quickly if silently. Roy made sure to keep close to Ed, arms ready for whatever baggage the blonde placed on him. By the time the sun was setting, the two were in an inn, negotiating the price of a single night’s stay.

In the room, a nice fire crackled in the fireplace, warming the chilly beds.

Roy was already in one, ducked under the blankets even though it was hot enough to discard his coat. His back was to the blonde as the man sat up with a book and a lamp.

“You know,” Ed began, “it’s the best thing for that fawn. If it grew up without a fear of humans, it couldn’t be released back into the wild. It would be killed.”

“I know.” Roy said, tugging the blankets in closer. “I just… didn’t want to say good-bye to someone else.”

“Your friend, right?” Ed guessed at the teen’s somber mood.

The brunette didn’t reply right away. When he did, it was on a different subject entirely. “You said earlier, that predators and scavengers won’t run into you because of your… curse. What did you mean by that?”

Ed marked his page and set the book aside, knowing he wouldn’t get to finish it anytime soon. Instead, he twisted towards Roy, placing both feet on the ground and rolling up his left pant leg. “Hey, look.”

Roy didn’t immediately respond, but curiosity won out and he shifted until he could look into Ed’s eyes, then down at his legs. His eyes widened at the scar surrounding Ed’s left knee.

It looked like something had attempted to chew it off. Scars ringed it with pink puckers. It had happened a long time ago, but the skin still looked as fresh as if the blonde had seen a healer that morning.

“This,” Ed tapped on his left knee, then jerked down his collar to expose his right shoulder where similar scars tore up the golden skin there. “And this, were from traps set by hunters. Had any normal person gotten into them like I did, they would have lost their life to the trap and blood loss, if not the infection that followed. But not me.”

He let the collar of his shirt go, letting it drape naturally over his shoulders. “My magic is strong, strong enough to keep me from aging for centuries, strong enough to bring me back from the brink. Even if I wanted to die, it wouldn’t let me. Animals know that, they can feel it, fear it. They know that it isn’t something that they can beat, so they keep far away from me. And they’re smart for it.”

Roy stared with bright eyes, taking in the details of Ed’s story. The man had been caught not once, but _twice_ in traps - _bear traps_ , his mind supplied –and lived to tell the tale. All this, done by a magic that could steal the man’s own life.

The brunette stared down at his hands, fingers warm for the first time in months. “My friend and I… we joined because we thought we could make a difference. We had the silly idea in our heads that we were the ones that were going to end the war. I was going to become President of the Council; he was going to be my right hand man… There was nothing that could stop us.”

He drew in a heavy breath, “Except, apparently, the very war we sought to stop. The day he died… He told me to go on. Told me that one of us had to stop the war… I wish he had been the one to make it out.”

When the boy’s shoulders began to shake, Ed pushed himself to his feet and lumbered over to sit next to the kid. An arm around thin shoulders had the teen pulling into Ed’s side –quiet, shaky breaths the only noise of his sorrow.


	7. Painful Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist or its characters, only the events and plot of this fic.
> 
> Down to one last chapter people! I think you will hate me at the end of this fic, but I will find join in it. :)
> 
> Other news: Still don't see any contestants, so I think the AU contest is a wash. Oh well. I'll try again next time. Still a week for those who actually read the disclaimers, but I doubt anyone is going to do anything.

The next morning, they set out early. Ed paid for the inn room and caught up on the latest gossip from town.

“I’d be careful going up to that house of yours.” The innkeeper warned. “I’ve heard the President sent reinforcements to the front. The Aerugos too. Xing finally agreed to their alliance. The emperor himself is taking to the battlefield. The borders will be hot again before you know it.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Ed replied, eyes serious. He wished this war had never escalated as it had. So many people had died already, why did they need to send more to follow?

Roy stood outside the door to the inn, waiting patiently with Al on his shoulders. There wasn’t quite as much room on the boy’s shoulders as on Ed’s, but Al made it work. Ed was tempted to laugh at the sight, but he managed to hold it back.

Slinging the bag with their purchases over his shoulder, the blonde nodded to the boy. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Roy replied. He had his coat on, but it was unbuttoned and hanging open. No doubt the teen would be sweating by the time they were halfway up, but Ed knew he didn’t care. The boy was still awed by the fact that he was _warm_.

Ed had to wonder just how long he’d gone cold for it to be such a rarity.

The first two hours went by quickly as the two climbed the mountainside. They stopped briefly for a chug of water and quick lunch before they packed up to move on again. It was another two hours before Roy begged off for another break. Going up the mountain was a lot harder than going down, it seems.

“I don’t know how you do it!” Roy panted from his seat on a rock. The coat had found its way back into his bag alongside his uniform jacket and robe. He was dressed in the light dress shirt and still seemed to be sweating buckets.

“Lots of practice and keeping in shape.” Ed replied, though he knew it was in part due to his magic. That was something he tried to ignore though.

He looked out across the horizon. They were tall enough now that they towered over most of the smaller peaks. They were up enough, in fact, to see the battlefield on the western side.

And the small armies congregating at either ends of the planar plateau.

They were only a blur on the edges, patches of white tents and teaming blues, greens and reds, like ants on an anthill. Smoke rose from various campfire as several groups bustled about, preparing for something Ed didn’t want to see.

“That’s them, isn’t it?” Roy asked, coming up alongside Ed to see what had caught his attention. The boy’s voice shook slightly, but Ed couldn’t tell if it was due to exhaustion or the thought of being found by the armies again. Maybe a little of both.

“Yeah.” Ed replied, “Heard from the innkeeper that reinforcements were called in. Aerugo has the Xingese at their backs. The emperor, bastard that he is, has joined their forces and will be leading the charge.”

“The Xingese?” Roy blanched, “But they were claiming neutrality! What changed?!”

“Probably something stupid that President said.” Ed shrugged, picking up his bag again. “Come on. If we ever want to make it back, we need to get going.”

When he didn't hear footsteps follow, Edward slowed to a halt, looking over his shoulder. Roy stood on the ridge, bright eyes going dark and distant as he watched the small columns of smoke drift upwards. Edward frowned and hitched his bag higher onto his shoulder. Al sneezed.

"Roy?" Ed called, trying to get the teen's attention.

The boy was quiet for a while before stating, "I should go back."

Ed's expression darkened. "You owe them nothing."

"I don't have to..." Roy replied quietly. "They are my country, my people. I need to help them, need to stop this war. It's what my friend... It's what Maes would have wanted."

_Maes would have wanted you to live!_ Ed bit his tongue against the comment. "I can't help you. If you go back, you're on your own."

"I'm not asking you to." Roy's eyes dropped to the tree line that separated the forest from the war. "But... after this... after the war and fighting is done..." the teen looked up, eyes pleading. "Could I come back?"

Ed's shoulders hunched of their own accord.

"It's quiet here..." Roy whispered, turning his eyes back onto the encampment. "It's peaceful… and warm. I don't need to think battle strategies or casualties... I only need to think about what to make for dinner and what to pull from the garden. I only need to kill to eat, not kill to survive. I... I really want to come back..."

The two were silent for a long moment before Ed gave a curt nod. Roy wasn't looking, so Ed cleared his throat, "You're welcome here anytime... as long as you don't have that war snapping at your heels. Or that damn uniform."

The teen's shoulders relaxed, as if a heavy burden was suddenly lifted from them, and he turned to shoot the blonde a brief, relieved smile. At his feet, Al chirped and circled Ed's legs once before bounding off into the forest. Ed turned his gaze to follow. "Help me get the rest of this home, then you can be on your way."

Roy nodded in thanks and followed Edward further up the mountain.

The rest of the walk was silent. Each wanted to say something, but didn’t want to upset the other, so instead, remained quiet. Ed so badly wanted to argue with Roy, to get the kid to stay here, away from the blood and gore of the battlefield, but knew he couldn’t say a thing. The kid was going to go whether he liked it or not.

Ed just hoped that he would come back.

It was a stupid hope, he told himself. He knew that people just weren’t worth it –worth the care and worry that he had for them. This had been temporary from the start, Ed knew this. He knew Roy would be going back, whether by choice or by the brass dragging him back.

Ed knew this.

Still…

Why did it hurt so much?

The kid had only been there two, maybe three days, technically. That wasn’t long enough to care for someone. Not enough for Ed anyway. And yet…

They came upon Ed’s house far too soon. The blonde had spent the rest of the time thinking, but he didn’t know what to say to the brunette, what to do to keep him from the death-ridden border.

Because Ed knew, without a doubt, that if Roy went onto that field, he would never leave it. Not this time.

“I’ll just leave your bag on your bed.” Roy called over his shoulder as he marched into the small house. Ed followed more slowly, setting the purchases he’d made on the small porch –the same one he’d found Roy on only two days prior –and took a seat on the steps.

The boy was gone for only a few minutes, before reappearing. His uniform jacket was a little wrinkled and his white robe was no longer as pristine as it had been when he had arrived, but he looked every part the perfect Amestrian soldier.

“I…” Roy fiddled with one of his sleeves before hiding his hands behind his back. “I guess this is good-bye.”

“No.” Ed shook his head, smiling at Roy’s wide eyes. He offered a hand, “It’s just a ‘see-you-later’.”

The boy took his hand, smile brighter than it had been since the two had met. At his side, Al chirped mournfully. Kneeling, Roy scratched behind the fox’s ears.

“I’ll miss you too, Al.” Roy replied, as if the fox had actually said anything of interest. Al chittered and rubbed his face all over Roy’s hands, leaning up to lick his face as well.

Roy laughed and settled Al down again before standing. “Guess I’ll be going.”

“Come back once you’ve ended this war!” Ed called after him. “I want to see what Amestria looks like with you as its President.”

Roy didn’t look back, but he waved and that was that.

Ed watched him as he started down the western path. It was even less of a path than the eastern one, but Roy found his way just fine. Soon enough, the boy disappeared into the trees.

“Let’s go, Al.” Edward said quietly, reaching down to scoop up the fox. “We have things to put away.”

Lugging the bag inside behind him, Ed sighed at the quiet house. He’d lived here most of his adult life, enjoying the quiet and solitude it provided.

For once, though, it was just a little too quiet and a little too big for one man alone.

*          *          *          *          *

Roy had made it down the mountain in record time, but at the base of the mountain, he was apprehended by soldiers in blue. His hands were bound behind him and a gag placed in his mouth. Thrown in a tent, he could only wait until called upon by the acting officer.

What had to be an hour later, an officer Roy didn’t know waved to the guards and entered the tent. By the ranking, Roy knew he was a Major General, though why he was there, the brunette didn’t know. Major General Grumman should be the only one authorized to see to prisoners.

“Name and rank for the records.” The man stated, removing Roy’s gag so that he could answer.

“M-Major Roy Mustang…” Roy looked over at the guard nervously, “E-Excuse me, but… where is Major General Grumman?”

“Major General Grumman has been called back to the capital for the time being.” The officer replied, making marks in a small pocket book. “I am acting head of this platoon, Major General Hakuro.”

“O-Oh…” Roy swallowed thickly. Had it been Grumman, Roy was sure he could have talked his way into the Major General’s good graces, but with Hakuro… well, chances were slim.

“May I ask why you are walking into our camp, Major Roy Mustang?” Hakuro asked, looking bored as he wrote more information into his book.

“I…” the brunette swallowed again, before straightening his shoulders, “I am here to suggest a ceasefire.”

“Oh?” the commanding officer raised an eyebrow. He took note in his book, but otherwise appeared to have ignored Roy completely. “Major, you are aware that you left the battlefield in the last attack, timed three days ago, correct?”

“I made a tactical retreat.” Roy said, feeling the sweat on the back of his neck trickle down into his shirt.

“One that lasted three days according to our records.” The general made another mark in his tome. “Under such conditions, you are considered a deserter to the military of Amestria and as such are branded as a traitor. You understand this, right?”

Roy’s breath caught in his throat. “I… I got lost!”

“Of course you did.” Hakuro said soothingly, putting his pocketbook away. “And yet, you look more healthy than most of the troops. Not only that, but you come in here and the first thing you ask for is a ceasefire? Something tells me you weren’t alone in those woods.”

His heart thudded in his ears as Ed’s bright smile came to mind, golden eyes glowing. The boy swallowed thickly.

“Who did you meet, Major Mustang?” the Major General asked with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“No one.” Roy heard himself saying. “I didn’t meet with anyone.”

Hakuro frowned, “We both know that’s not true, boy.”

Before Roy could reply, another soldier pushed his way into the tent, frantic, “Sir! Word just received! Opposing forces are preparing to march!”

"Please!" Roy pleaded. "Call up a ceasefire! We can talk this through!"

"There are troops advancing on us this  _instance_ , Major Mustang!" Major General Hakuro scowled. "If we call a ceasefire, we will be decimated!"

"But they'll kill us anyway!" Roy argued, "The Aerugo have united with the Xing. The Xingese emperor is  _on the front line_! We can't possibly-!"

"How do you know this?" General Hakuro demanded, eyes as cold as ice.

"I..." Roy’s breath hitched and his voice cracked with nerves. "I saw them. From atop the mountain ridge! I could see the emperor's carriage when it drove to the encampment in the night! I-!"

"You were in the last Amestria squadron, were you not?" the Major General growled, "Where were you the night we were attacked?"

The teen swallowed thickly, "I was -I was here! I-!"

"If you had been here, you would have done your duty!" the commanding officer pounded a fist against the ground before Roy’s legs, making the boy flinch. "You would have helped more troops escape! You would have _died_  protecting the Amestrian border! And yet, here you are!"

"I-I did-!"

"You ran." The Major General glared at the boy, ignoring the other's trembling figure. "You left your comrades to die at the hands of the Aerugos."

"No, I-!" Roy shuddered as the memory of Maes’ screams echoed in his ears, the smell of burning flesh trapped in his nose. "I didn't-!"

"You did." the man snarled, standing violently. "I should have you quartered and hanged for this! How dare you desert Amestria and then come crawling back!"

"I-I-!" Roy's words caught in his throat. It was the truth, he had left his comrades behind, had left  _Maes_  behind, because he was too afraid to die.

"But doing so would be a waste. Spell casters like you is in short supply. I'll give you one more chance." the general leaned down, looming over Roy as he stared the boy in the eye. "We are going to battle and you will be our first line of defense. You will keep my troops safe from the first wave, even if it  _kills_  you. And if it does..." General Hakuro scoffed as he straightened, giving Roy a derisive look, "Well, that's what you get for deserting Amestria."

Roy felt his throat swelling and his eyes burning, but he kept his head down, not saying a word.

"Dismissed." General Hakuro growled as he left the tent.


	8. Silence is Golden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters, only the plot and events in this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> Wow, I'm done already! It was exactly 8 chapters! It was also exactly 20,000 words in my document, but chapter titles change and such. This also brings a close to my competition, not that anyone joined (le sigh). Maybe I should just ask for good old fashioned prompts? Eh, I'll think about it.

"What do you think, Al?" Ed wondered aloud, hands and chin propped up on the pole of the shovel. Some of the potatoes needed harvesting before their winter in the ground. Once dug up, some would be cut into chunks and replanted for the cold season; the others would go into the cooler.

 His dazed eyes looked out at the smoke trails. "Think we'll ever see him again?"

The little fox cocked its head to the side, twitched its ears, and yipped.

"Yeah... I figured as much." Ed sighed as he set the shovel aside and turned to go into his house -a house that had once been perfect and cozy and now felt just a little too big.

*          *          *          *          *

Roy stared at his finger as the final countdown began. The generals had timed it so that he would start first, a full twenty to thirty minutes before the first wave and hopefully cause confusion on the enemy's side. He was well-rested and well-fed, much better off than the rest of the Amestrian soldiers. This was the first time in a long time that his magic reserves were completely restored. 

This play would work and would do so effectively. Roy knew, he'd been the victim of one such ploy. It had taken the life of his best friend.

The clock ticked down to thirty minutes and General Hakuro gave Roy the signal. Barely able to swallow through his burning throat, Roy started his death march to the other camp. The opposing camp was far, the battlefield large to accommodate all of the long distance spells. It was ideal if an army could attack the enemy before they ever reached camp, but that was rarely the case.

Fifteen minutes of walking later, Roy could just barely make out the Aerugo/Xingese camp, but they could see him just fine. A scout stood roughly fifteen minutes out from the enemy base and had just turned to run back when Roy noticed him. Before the scout could inform anyone else, Roy held out his hand and snapped his fingers. The man screamed as he was engulfed in flames.

So much for subtlety. 

*          *          *          *          *

The first shot was the worse, it always was to Ed. It meant the start of another bloody battle, another round of screams to echo off the mountains of his home. It meant another night of hiding his head under the pillow in order to try and get some sleep. Why the countries chose to fight at the base of his mountain, Ed would never know, but he'd sooner they leave than he'd move away himself.

When the  _boom_  of combustion made water rings in his glass, he knew he'd have to settle in for another long night.

Al scratched on the door restlessly.

"Al, you know I don't like to let you out on nights like this." Ed said, not looking up from his meal. He had made too much for just him and Al and now he was trying to figure out what to do with the rest. He could always just throw it into the cooler…

Al rose up on his hind legs to scratch more insistently, letting out little snarls and whines.

"Alphonse, what has gotten into you?" Ed frowned at the fox. Another  _boom_  and the fox paused before picking up the pace. "Is there something out there?"

Al barked at him, running over to tug on his pant leg urgently. Ed reached down to grab him and carry him out the front door, tucked safely in his arms. The battle could barely be seen over the line of trees that marked out Ed's clearing. There were flashes every now and then, but they were congregated on only one side –the Aerugo/Xingese side.

"What is going on?" Ed asked Al, knowing he wouldn't get an answer from the fox.

Turning back inside, Ed pulled open a drawer and grabbed a scope that he'd lifted off of some poor mountaineer that had taken one too many turns around the hills. Al scrambled up his chest and around his shoulders, nails digging in as Ed tugged down the rope ladder he'd made to the roof. Nimble as a fox, Ed climbed the ladder and steadied himself on the porch roof, looking out at the battle. Al hopped off and let out a whine as he sat his furry rump down.

"It'll be okay, Al." Ed petted the fox before lifting his spyglass to his eye. The flashes Ed has seen were plumes of fire that burst into life and died just as quickly. The Aerugo/Xingese camp was in utter chaos by –Ed refocused the lenses –one soldier?

As he watched, the soldier lift their hand, taking aim and firing. A quick snap of the fingers was all it took as a single spark slashed through the air and caused the atmosphere to erupt in flames. The explosion reverberated against the mountains like thunder from a storm, screams of dying men like the pitter-patter of rain. 

Focusing the scope closer, Ed felt his breath catch. That figure, that walk, that hand reaching forward... that was Roy! Ed lowered the spyglass and cursed to himself. "Should never have trusted that brat! He's just like every other glory-crazed soldier-!"

Al barked and dug at Ed's pant leg.

"You can't expect me to believe he's a good person." Ed rolled his eyes. "He's over there, wiping out the Aerugos and Xingese single-handedly."

Ed paused.  _Single-handedly... NO!_

Frantically, Ed lifted the scope, looking for another spell caster of any sort –anyone who could be responsible for some of those blasts. He scanned back from Roy's position, back and back and back until he found the edge of the Amestrian camp, where soldiers and spell casters alike were standing at attention. Had they really sent Roy off on his own? Were they really that callous? Did they really think human life was that _cheap_?

Even though Roy was fully healed, firing off so many shots would surely-!

"We have to get down there, Al." Ed said, jumping off the roof. He tore into woods, Al crashing through behind him, muttering expletives as he went. "Stupid, irritating,  _brat_! Just doesn't know when to  _give up_!"

*          *          *          *          *

Roy was cold. 

He had gone out just like Major General Hakuro had ordered and had faced down the entirety of the enemy troops. He had the first shot on the scouts, alerting the army to his attack. Now, he was firing shot after shot as the soldiers scurried around like ants. At first, he wasn't sure he'd be able to do it, but then... then he'd remembered Maes.

It was so much easier to kill when these were the people that had murdered his best friend and only family.

His fingers were becoming numb. Typically, that would be when Maes begged him off and the two retreated to recuperate, but there was no friendly reminder to stop, no well-meaning hands to cover his own. Roy briefly thought of Edward, his warm hands and golden eyes, but he shook his head. There was no way Edward would want him now, not with so much blood on his hands.

The brunette felt his torso begin to convulse with cold and his teeth nearly break themselves with the chattering they were doing. The spell words for his fire were almost incomprehensible through the shivers. He vaguely registered that his fingers had turned blue and that a puff of mist came from his lips, like when someone breathed in snowy weather. He noted, in the back of his mind, that he really ought to stop, but then another ant scurried towards him, gun held high and Roy had to squash him.

"Roy!" a voice called out. It sounded familiar, but there was no way that was true. The person it belonged to would never step foot on the battlefield. After all, it would kill him, steal the very breath from his lungs and life from his beautiful eyes.

"Roy, _stop_!" the voice urged again, closer this time. Blinking out of his trance, Roy turned to look at the figure, but found himself falling to the ground instead. His legs were completely numb and his arms trembled as he tried to keep himself up.

"Roy!" the voice was close now and when Roy looked up, gold took over his vision.

"Ed-d-dw-ward-d-d?" Roy whispered through clattering teeth. His eyes drooped, tired now that he was freed from his murderous trance. His arms gave out from under him, causing the blonde to jolt forward to catch him. Both of them sunk to the ground.

"Roy, you  _idiot_!" Ed hissed, warm hands burning like fire against Roy's skin, even through several layers of clothes. "You're as cold as ice! How many shots did you fire?!"

"T-t-too m-man-ny," the brunette wanted to cry, but he was tired, so, so tired. If he could just close his eyes and rest...

"No! You stay with me, Roy." Ed shouted, pulling the teen close. "You're-You're going to be fine! We'll get you out of here, get you warmed up –everything will be fine, got it?!"

"C-Can't..." Roy coughed. "C-Can't feel..."

"What?" the blonde demanded. He chanced a glance back at the enemy camp. The soldiers and spell casters were starting to rally now that the initial attack was over. On the far end of the battlefield, Amestria had started its move. Gritting his teeth, Ed demanded, "What can't you feel, Roy? Tell me."

"...A-Annything." the teen rasped. "’M t-tired..."

"Don't you fall asleep on me, bastard! You keep your eyes on me, you hear – _Shit_!"   
Edward ducked in, covering as much of Roy's body as he could when a boulder came flying towards them. It flew in fast, enough that Roy knew they wouldn't be able to dodge, but then the strangest thing happened. The boulder... missed. It looked like it struck some kind of barrier and shifted off course, falling harmlessly to the side.

Edward was right... he would never die as long as he had that power in him.

There were loud cries of outrage and more spells were spoken, flying like actual weapons into battle. The Amestrian army had marched more than half-way across the field and were now within range to firing their own spells, using Roy as the distraction that he was.

"Roy? Roy, are you still with me?!" Ed shook the boy hard, trying to keep those dazed eyes on him, "You have to stay awake, Roy!"

"M'sorry, Edward." Roy slurred. His teeth were no longer chattering and his body no longer shivered. He didn't feel cold anymore. In fact, he was starting to feel warm, nice and warm and all his aches were disappearing. "Didn'mean t'fight. Want... Wanted t'go back t'you..."

"You can!" Edward urged, sitting up to look Roy in the eyes, heedless of the flames dancing around his head and the dust outlining a sphere around them. Golden eyes burned into Roy with one part anger, one part desperation as tears began to blur his vision. "We'll go back. Right now. Get you in bed and some warm soup in you. You'll be right as rain!"

"Wanted t'go back..." Roy whispered, the world blurring around him. "M'tired..."

"Roy, eyes open! Come on, you're better than-!" the sound of battle was reaching a crescendo now. The two were ignored as spell casters fired off curses and soldiers raced into battle with guns and cannons and fiery  _booms_. Roy's lips moved wanting to get one last thought across, but he knew the blonde couldn’t hear him.

Heart thrumming in his ears, Ed snapped.

*          *          *          *          *

Ed was in a white room. No, not a room. A room required walls, a floor and a ceiling. Maybe a door, possibly some windows.

This was a white _space_ , going on as far as the eye could see.

“ _Here again, I see._ ” A figure was in front of him, but Ed couldn’t see them. They were both an outline and not, darkness and light and a void wrapped in one. He could feel eyes on him, though he couldn’t see them. He could see the grin, but it didn’t look right.

That grin fell into a frown as they looked at the figure in Ed’s arms. Roy lay there, pale and limp, heart a faint, _faint_ beat under Ed’s hand.

“ _Really?_ ” the being huffed, crossing its arms. Its voice held thousands of familiar tones and equally as many strangers, “ _I supposed you want to use your magic now?_ ”

“My… magic…?” Ed’s head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. His senses felt dull, as if he were the one suffering from hypothermia instead of Roy.

“ _One wish, limit free, with the cost of the thing most precious to you._ ” The being wagged its finger at him, grin blindingly bright and bitterly dark. “ _Better make it quick, the offer won’t last long… Such a small soul as that doesn’t have a lot of time left._ ”

Ed blinked slowly, brain finally recognizing what the being was saying. This was his moment, the one time in his life he would use his magic. He… He never thought it would come to this.

But he knew exactly what to ask for.

He opened his mouth to plead for the kid’s, for Roy’s life, but he was interrupted by the sound of screams. They were quiet, off in the distance, almost unnoticeable, but they were there –screams of the dying, injured, broken and desperate. They were the screams of those that had died in this war –the war Roy and his friend had wanted to stop.

Could Ed do that? Could he make the war stop?

“ _Time is counting down._ ” The being said, resting its chin in its hand.

No, Ed didn’t want to stop the war. He didn’t want to be a part of it! He just wanted Ro-!

The screams slowly got louder. Sounds of boulders smashing into the ground and great explosions of fire added to the mix.

Could Ed really sacrifice himself for a kid he knew all of three days? Was it right to put one life above thousands more that would die in the bloodshed? Even if that life matter more to him than those thousands of others? More than his own pathetic existence?

“ _Ten… nine… eight…”_

The explosions got louder, echoed by the _tata-tata_ of guns, _zaps_ of lightning, and _booms_ of cannons. The screams poured forth, ear-piercing in their volume.

Ed wanted the noise to stop. He wanted to be able to think! This was an important choice and he just-! He wanted to know those last words Roy had said, not even a whisper on his breath. He-!

_“Five… four…three”_

He just wanted-!

The being grinned, “ _One.”_

*          *          *          *          *

" ** _Silence!_** " he shouted, his voice ringing out over the entire battlefield, miles and miles of land and hundreds of thousands of soldiers before echoing back from his mountains. The volume shook the ground, causing people to fall to their knees and the cavalry to startle.

Every eye turned onto him as he shook Roy's shoulder, trying to wake the boy again. The teen just stared upwards, eyes vacant and lips blue.

"No...Not him!" Ed breathed, fingers searching for a pulse. "No, no no no! It wasn’t supposed to be _him_!"

Unable to find even the weakest hint of a beat, Ed curled over the first human being he had opened up to in decades. Fingers tight in the teen's shirt, Ed threw back his head and let out the most agonized sound the soldiers and spell casters had ever heard. When every gasp of air had been pressed from his lungs, Ed doubled over the body in his lap, heaving shuddering sobs. Just as fast as sorrow had sprung up, anger took its place.

Glaring at the nearest soldier –not caring _what_ side –Ed demanded hotly, "Are you _happy_  now!?"

The soldier balked, shifting behind a stack of crates to hide from that penetrating golden stare. 

Ed immediately turned his eyes onto a spellcaster, the same one that had thrown the boulder at him earlier. " _Are_   _you!?_ "

Burning golden orbs turned to where the Amestrian army was standing in disarray, half-poised to attack, half-poised to flee.

"He was  _sixteen_!" Ed shouted at them, knuckles meeting the hardened ground with a solid  _thwack_. "He was a  _child_ and you  _sent him off to war_!" 

Major General Hakuro shivered from where he was far in the back of the army. It was like those golden eyes could pick him out of the crowd no matter how far back he was.

"How many more will have to die for you!?" Ed demanded, "How many more will give their lives so you can play politics? How much more innocent blood much be spilled for you  _animals_!?"

The blonde spat at their feet.

"You wanted me to use my powers to end the war?" Ed snarled even as he gently maneuvered Roy's body into his arms, held close to his chest. "Well,  _congratulations._  Your _wish_  has been granted."

With that and one more parting spit in the direction of the other army, Ed marched off the battlefield, Al following morosely at his feet. He had barely hit the tree line when the sound of fighting started again, but it quickly delved into chaos as every curse fell flat and every spell was rendered useless.

"Disgusting." Ed sneered, not once looking back. Al made a whining sound as the two trudged up the mountain side. "I know, Al, I know. I never should have let him go."

Sad golden eyes bore down on the cold corpse in his arms. "But I know what to do. I'll bury him under some tulips, those ones Chris gave us.  He'd be happy with that, I think."

With that, the trio disappeared into the woods, leaving the bloody battlefields far behind.

*          *          *          *          *

_“In Xing, the story goes that a single man stood between both sides.” Ling continued, “With hair the color of the sun, bloodied from the battle and eyes that gleamed with sands of the desert, the man brought the war to an end with a single word: Silence.”_

_Ed felt shivers go down his spine, but he promptly ignored them. Scoffing, he crossed his legs, “You Xingese are weird.”_

_“What, don’t your histories have the same?” Ling pressed, “If not the same, at least **similar** , Come on, there’s got to be something!”_

_“There isn’t, not from what I’ve heard.” Ed brushed him off, looking out the window again to see East City pulling into view. “Amestria’s history has long since been buried. People speak of the Silence, but don’t know what it is. They speak of a dictator from thousands of years ago without an idea of the man’s name. They speak of strange arts that turn elements into others, but not a single document remains.”_

_Ed sighed. “They speak of many things, but the only thing that matters is the here and now. I’m not your ‘golden one’, Ling. That is nothing more than a fairy tale.”_

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that wraps up another fic. The next one I have in line deals with necromancy and poems as well as explaining more of this magic business that I didn't explain at all in this world. Working title at the moment is: The Last Necromancer.
> 
> That being said, I won't have any weekly updates as I write and store up a few chapters for the story. I will, however, be writing a few oneshots and adding to a few series that I have started. If you have any prompts for me, send them my way. I won't promise to write every prompt, but I will take them under consideration. 
> 
> See you all next time!  
> Phantom

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews: I don't want to hear "Good job!" or "Update soon!". If you want to say either of those, just drop a kudos. Only make a comment if you're giving constructive criticism, something that can make my writing or my world better.


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